Dozens of frustrated Filipino-American establishments – many of them in the food business – lost thousands of dollars in sales income and perishable goods, some as much as $100,000, in the week-long Queens power outage.

Filipino restaurants on Roosevelt Avenue and 69th Street, where the most popular Filipino eateries are located, were hit the hardest.

“Para kaming ninakawan (It feels like we were robbed),” said Ernesto Dizon of Renee’s Kitchenette, who appeared distraught as he and his wife, Renee, supervised workers emptying two walk-in freezers and bringing outside large garbage bags filled with spoiled and rotten food, piled like a small mountain in front of the 16-year-old restaurant.

“It’s like we’re going to open this place for the first time and start all over again,” said Renee, who claimed to have spent $200,000 for the three-month renovation of the two-story restaurant that was completed in May. “We were closed for three months and we haven’t yet recouped the money we invested in the renovation, and now this.”

“New York City is supposed to be the No. 1 city in the world and it is the city that never sleeps,” said Chito Tantamco, a worker at Ihawan [Grill]. “But what happened was worse than blackouts in the Philippines. There, the (longest) blackout is one day, but here it’s one week.

“It’s unbelievable that it can happen in the capital of the world,” said Yek Castillo, owner of Phil-Am Food Mart, who could not hide his disappointment. “It’s really a disaster for us. But what can we do? We’re helpless.”

“We lost a lot of money,” said Ihawan owner Pitts Bacani, who showed the Filipino Reporter several large freezers and refrigerators that were emptied of decayed meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. “Lahat tinapon namin (We threw away everything) – steak, salmon, lahat! [all!].”

New York City officials estimated that at least 750 businesses were affected by the blackout and that the losses could reach into the millions of dollars.

Bacani of Ihawan would not give estimates of damages, but a worker told the Reporter loads of fresh goods like seafood, meat and vegetables, had just been delivered to Ihawan the day the power went out.

Ihawan, with its slogan “Home of the Best Barbeque in Town,” is known for its pork and chicken barbecue, crispy pata and kare-kare.

The power outage, which began July 17 and was restored in the afternoon of July 24 in the Roosevelt Avenue area, cost Renee’s Kitchenette at least $50,000, according to the owner’s conservative estimate.

Other Filipino businesses, however, declined to disclose losses, saying a complete inventory could yield more, but at least two food businesses pegged their losses in income and goods at $100,000.

But many of them are fuming that small businesses selling perishable goods are eligible to receive only up to $7,000 each, after filing claims with the Consolidated Edison (ConEd) utility.

They want more.

They said they are joining any class action suit – or “whatever suit” – business owners will file against Con Edison.

“They (Con Edison) apologized and they gave us forms to fill out for the claims,” said Nel Castellvi, owner of Perlas ng Silangan [Pearl of the Orient], a favorite eatery among visiting celebrities from Manila. “They paralyzed us for one week, but they said we are only entitled to $7,000 maximum.”

Out of frustrations with Con Edison, Edgarda Chu, a supervisor at Ihawan, smirked. “Lilipat na lang kami sa Meralco (We will transfer to Meralco),” referring to the Manila Electric Company, the largest electricity distributor in the Philippines.

Krystal’s Cafe, which is also popular for its fine cakes and pastries, as well as other non-food establishments from 65th Street to 70th Street remained closed on the day power returned here on July 24.

Robert W. Walsh, commissioner of New York City Department of Small Business Services, told 1010 WINS Radio that his agency is attempting to establish emergency loans ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 that businesses can get in less than a week.

“I’m hustling like heck,” he said. “The key thing obviously is to get them up and running.”

Although the lights are on, not everything is back to normal, especially to the many workers who are afraid they won’t get paid for the workless days. Most of the employers could not provide answers at the moment.

“Alam namin hindi kami pababayaan ng employer namin [We know that our employers won’t let us down],” said a worker, who requested anonymity. “Kaya lang kulang pa nga ang kinikita ko sa isang araw para sa pamilaya ko [But what I earn every day is actually not enough for my family]. Who will compensate that? Nangutang na nga kami sa mga kaibigan [We have already borrowed money from friends].”

During the blackout, both the owners and workers had to report for work everyday in case the power is restored. “For one week, we drove everyday for two hours, back and forth from our Long Island home, and paid for gas, all for nothing,” said Ernesto Dizon.

Future blackouts feasible

“What is scary is that it (blackout) can happen again,” said Castillo, who purchased a $600 generator that helped Phi-Am Food Mart operate partially during the blackout.

While most of the businesses waited until their goods got spoiled, Phi-Am Food Mart decided to give away to customers many of the perishable items from afritada, adobo and dinuguan to rice cakes, empanada and balut.

“Yung iba nga bumalik-balik pa to get some more [Others came back a few times to get some more],” Castillo said.

Meanwhile, low-income Filipino residents affected by the power outage can also be reimbursed up to $350 for spoiled food, according to the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.

They can visit neighborhood job centers or food stamps offices run by New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) or call 311 to locate the nearest HRA office.

Those affected by the blackout may also submit a written claim to Con Edison within 30 days to receive reimbursement for their ruined food.

Call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov for instructions on submitting a claim.

Woodside is known for its concentration of Filipinos. Of the 85,000 residents of Woodside, about 13,000 are of Filipino background.

Along the No. 7 subway line, known colloquially as the “International Express,” the 69th Street station serves as the gateway to Queens’ Little Manila.

Filipino restaurants as well as freight and remittance centers dominate the area.

Other Filipino-owned businesses include professional services (medical, dental, optical, driving schools, beauty salons, immigration services and video rental).